Dreams and Memories
by KRiSTiNEDAHLiNG
Summary: Ths is a Duncan and Veronica story. Takes place at least five years in the future. Past that it's hard to summarize.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything, but a love for Duncan and Veronica as a couple. **

_The beach was deserted except for them. The beach was quiet except for their angry voices. The world was calm except for their raging tempers. Everything was perfect except for the fact that they were falling apart. _

"_God Veronica I love you. Okay. I love you more than I've ever loved anything or anyone else. When I see you my heart either breaks or skips a beat. When I think of you or the little moments we shared everything suddenly seems okay." Duncan had once again turned his back on her and was facing the water._

_Veronica sighed. "Then why did you let me go Duncan? Why did you let me stay with Logan?"_

"_I don't know! I ask myself that question at least two to three times a day, but do I ever find an answer? NO! I don't!"_

_Veronica grabbed his shoulder. "So what does this mean? What does all of this mean?" _

_Duncan didn't say anything but instead he quickly took her into his arms and kissed her. It was a soft one but even from a distance you could see that it was full of passion. When he let her go he looked at her and smiled. _

_Veronica opened her lips to speak but he couldn't understand what she was saying. All he could hear was "Duncan, sweetheart, wake up. You're having a bad dream again. Wake up." _

When Duncan Kane finally opened his eyes he was faced with the harsh reality that everything he had just experienced had been a dream. Veronica hadn't been there at all. He sighed. It wasn't the first time he'd had this dream. He also knew that it wouldn't be the last. On nights when he was feeling especially lonely he would think of her and then the dreams would come. In the morning the fact that he was with Meg and not Veronica would be made and he would have to live another day of mediocrity.

"What's the matter Duncan?" Meg asked quietly. She was looking at him with these caring eyes. She was searching his face for some kind of hint as to what he was feeling.

Duncan rubbed his hands over his face. "Nothing I was just having a bad dream again." He started to get out of bed to go get a drink.

"Where are you going?" Meg's voice was no longer caring but now came off as being quite shrill.

Duncan sighed. "I was just going to get the kitchen to get a drink of water and maybe work on the plans for that new mall. That always helps me fall back asleep."

"Yeah right Duncan. This wasn't just some dream either was it? You were dreaming about her again weren't you?"

"Leave Veronica out of this," Duncan said firmly.

Meg scoffed. "Why should I? It's not like you leave her out of our relationship. God sometimes I swear if I'm not competing with this damn job of yours then I'm competing with the memory of your ex-girlfriend."

Duncan didn't bother to say anything back to her. It was always like this. They were always fighting about one thing or another. If it wasn't because of him coming home late from work then it was her constant allegations that he still loved Veronica. The fact of the matter was this he did think about Veronica a lot in fact, but had he run off to be with her? No. He stayed and lived a bland mediocre life with Meg. The worst part was it wasn't even like Veronica was here threatening their relationship she was living in Los Angeles and working as a Detective. He hadn't seen or spoken to her in over eight months. From what he heard from the small conversations he had with Wallace she was happy and dating an Assistant District Attorney. He started towards the kitchen so that he could get water and decided that something a little stronger was more appropriate for this situation so he instead got a glass of bourbon.

It was nearly three in the morning when Veronica finally got back to her apartment. Yet another one of her nights was spent working. In Charlie's words it was her life and everything else was simply an after thought. At least that's what he said on the voice message that he had left on her phone earlier this evening. She didn't have time to stress about him. There were so many more important things going on in the world. Like the fact that she had just been assigned a case that for the first time she didn't know if she could deal with. The victim was a 17 year old blonde female that had been found strangled outside of a rave in downtown Los Angeles. When Veronica closed her eyes it wasn't the victim's face she saw, but rather Lily's. It was like no matter what she did to try and distance herself from Neptune, and from that life it haunted her. She went over to her bookshelf and pulled down a familiar leather bound book. She opened it up and read the personalization. _Veronica, this is for the times when you feel that there is no one there for you. May this bring you enough joy and happiness to help you get through those moments. All my love, Duncan._ She sighed and then went and sat down on her couch. They did help. They helped her feel less old. When she looked at those pictures she still felt as though she could be an innocent teenager.

The first picture was always the hardest to look at. It reminded her too much of him. It made her think of memories that she should have gotten over when she left. Each and every time she saw this picture she remembered three things. That Duncan was the perfect height for her. Logan wasn't always a jackass and Lily at one point in her life wasn't as much of a screw up as she was those last few months when the whole world came crashing down around her. The thing though that stuck with her the most was the memory of feeling that came when she was in Duncan's arms. It was like nothing could hurt her as long as he was there.

As she flipped the pages she slowly noticed that the deeper you got into the album the more the sparkle faded from Lily's eyes until finally in the last shot of them taken before they were off to the party of their lives, as Lily called it, all you could see was this person faking happiness. At the time no one had a clue that Lily was having an affair with Aaron Echolls or anyone else for that matter. No, all anyone knew was that Lily was as crazy and outgoing as ever.

Her favorite picture was of Duncan. Just Duncan. He was sitting at his desk doing math homework. She'd told him to look at her and that's when she took it. There was something so genuine about the way he looked in that picture that made her heart ache. He was the most genuine guy she'd ever known. He had his faults and weaknesses but he didn't let them destroy him.

After almost an hour of looking at the photos she found that she was finally ready to go to sleep. She prayed that tonight when she closed her eyes she would see a happy image rather than Lily or some other victim of circumstance. The person she really wanted to see more than ever though was Duncan, because when she dreamed of him everything somehow felt and looked better and brighter.

_She ran her fingers through her daughters long blonde hair smiling as she did so. It was so beautiful and silky smooth. She looked at the clock and smiled again. He would be getting home soon. With a frantic look on his face worried that she was already gone. She loved the way he looked when he was worried. "I can't believe you're old enough to be going to a prom." Veronica whispered softly into her daughter's ear._

"_Oh mom it's not that big of a deal. Anyway Colin and I have gone to six dances together already what makes this one any different?" _

_Veronica laughed. Her daughter was so different from her. She had this wild streak about her that said she Lily Kane's niece to the core, but then there was this part of her that was just so mellow about everything. She felt like she was going to cry. She finally understood why her mother was so emotional when she was growing up. "Your prom is a big dance, maybe the biggest of all dances, I swear if Lily heard you talking so nonchalantly about prom she would have a have a heart attack." _

_Madison Kane looked up at her mother and simply nodded. She knew better than to fight this point with her. She was usually right about these things. She looked over at the fireplace and smiled at the picture of her parents. Her father's arms wrapped tight around her mother as if saying that he'd never let go. She wondered if she'd ever get to that point with Colin where a simple action like that would say so much. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the fact that her father had just gotten home._

"_I know I'm late. I'm sorry. Traffic was terrible. Is he here yet?" Duncan asked as he hung his coat up in the closet. As soon as Duncan got the sentence out the doorbell rang. _

_Veronica stood up with the camera and smiled. "Okay before you guys rush off I just want to take a quick picture of you." She started to arrange them when a phone started to ring. She tried to ignore it, but it just kept getting louder and louder._

Veronica slowly opened her eyes and realized that she had been dreaming. There was no Madison, or Colin, or even a Duncan for that matter. It was just her and her gun in her small apartment in Los Angeles. She searched the floor for her cordless phone which she figured she must have knocked over sometime during the night. She wasn't surprised that Lily was still alive in her dream. She almost always was. Veronica attributed that to the fact that when she had time to think it was usually about what life would have been like if Lily hadn't died, if she hadn't gotten involved with Mr. Echolls, if things had never changed. It wasn't that Veronica didn't like the life she led, she just wondered if she wouldn't have been happier in the other one. Finally she found her phone. "Hello."

"Veronica I understand that you aren't supposed to be in until 10 today, but we just got an id on the girl from last night which means we've got some leads." Detective Joe Bishop replied in his usual firm but apologetic tone. He'd been working with Veronica since she'd made it into the department and understood that she was all business about the job. Last night had been the first night he'd ever seen a case really get to her.

"Okay Joe, thanks for the heads up. Just let me shower and then I'll be down there." Veronica sighed as she hung up her phone. She looked over at her clock and groaned. It was going to be another five hours of sleep day.

It only took her twenty minutes to get down to the police station. She was used to being woken up and then having to rush to get down here. She saw that Joe was sitting at his desk talking with a woman who appeared to be distraught. With every footstep in their direction the thought that the woman looked somewhat familiar would hit Veronica. As soon as she got to his desk she understood why. It was because she did know the woman. In fact she knew her quite well. It was none other than Kerry Bishop, a bitch who had made it her prerogative to try to put down Veronica every chance she got in high school. That meant that the victim must have been Libby Bishop, Kerry's younger sister. "What'd we got Joe?"

"The victim is 16 year old Libby Bishop. This is her sister Kerry Bishop-Maguire. The victim snuck out of her sister's house in Neptune last night to come to Los Angeles with her boyfriend. The boyfriend's name is Billy Thompson. He works for Kane Construction." Joe explained and then got up to introduce the two women. "Ma'am this is my partner Detective Veronica Mars."

As soon as Kerry turned around and saw Veronica you could see that there were a thousand thoughts running through her mind. One of which had to be does she remember all of the things that I did to her and then will she hold them against me in this case. Still when it was all said and done she talked to Veronica as if she had nothing to worry about. "Oh my god Veronica it's been so long. I'm so happy you're on the case. I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to get someone who really understands the inner workings of Neptune."

"Don't worry Kerry; we're going to find your sister's killer. First I'm going to need to ask you a few questions of my own." Veronica had followed Kerry's cue in pretending that there were no grudges to worry about in this situation. The entire time she talked to Kerry the words Kane Construction kept running through her head. She knew this meant that she was going to see Duncan and for some reason she felt nervous about it.

**I hoped that you liked it. I love to read reviews they are the reason I update because I feel bad if I'm not keeping my readers happy. The next one will actually have Duncan and Veronica talking to each other.**


	2. Chapter 2

She looked over at Joe and smiled when they finally reached Neptune. There was a look of pure astonishment on his face. "What I thought you said everything was bigger in Texas?" She joked.

Joe shook his head. "Ranches, sandwiches, cows, trucks, sports stadiums, and belt buckles maybe but not houses. Damn, I thought Beverly Hills had big homes."

Veronica laughed. Joe had been a Texas Ranger before moving here. His wife was a designer mostly in southwestern styles and was making good money. He moved here for her. Veronica had always thought that had to be the sweetest thing she'd ever heard. To move from the one place you'd ever lived just because someone else wanted you to. He had two daughters that still lived there. From what she could tell they both lived the suburban American dream in Dallas were one was a personal trainer and the other was a dentist. "Beverly Hills has nothing on Neptune. You haven't seen dysfunction until you've lived here."

Joe looked at her curiously. He thought that the worst criminals were in Los Angeles. "What do you mean?"

Veronica shook her head. "You'll see. Before this case is done and over you'll see."

"What do you mean this seems like an easy case. The boyfriend takes her to Los Angeles they get in a fight. He kills her." Joe said. He had thought about the scenario over and over again. There were no defense wounds or anything. From what the medical examiner said it appeared she knew the attacker.

"See Joe you have to think big. I'm not saying the boyfriend didn't do it, but then again I'm not saying he did either. Remember everyone is innocent until proven guilty." Veronica took a left and traveled down a familiar road. After driving for less than a minute she took a right and was in a residential neighborhood. The house that she stopped at had a large American flag blowing in the front. She got out of the car without ever explaining to Joe why they were there. Wallace walked out of the house and met her on the porch carrying a little girl in his arms.

"Well if it isn't the great Veronica Mars finally coming to visit me." Wallace joked. "Oh and you must be her Texas Ranger partner Joe. It's very nice to meet you."

Veronica smiled. "Wallace don't hate me but we can't stay long. We're just here because I was wondering if you knew where Duncan's construction company was working right now."

Wallace shook his head. "I'm telling you Veronica one day you're going to come and visit me and I'm going to be the one that's busy. Still I guess I'll be a good best friend and tell you that Kane Construction is currently building a new gym down by the beach. You can't miss it."

"Hey we should be done here in a couple of hours. I was thinking that maybe I'd let Joe take the car back and I'd stay here in town tonight. We could catch up. I'm working a new case that takes place here. Plus I haven't gotten a chance to visit with this baby girl in so now. Hey Layla, baby girl. You have gotten just so big." Veronica removed Layla from Wallace's arms and gave her a big fat kiss on her forehead. She used to not be a baby person but now she couldn't imagine not loving a cutie pie like Layla.

"That sounds good. Hannah's team is playing down in Phoenix tonight so it'll just be me and Layla." Wallace replied and then gave her a hug. Just before Veronica could get in her car he yelled. "Now you just have a nice time catching up with Duncan! I know he'll be so happy to see you!"

Veronica sighed and got in the car. The mere thought of seeing Duncan made her nauseous. She couldn't believe that she was going to be face to face with him. She hadn't had a real conversation with him in almost two years. Still if she was quiet enough she could still remember that night.

_It was obvious that it was Duncan walking down the beach. From the way he walked to the simple way he always had his hands shoved into his pockets. She felt her heart beat faster with every step that he took. She had just told him to meet her here. That's all she could say. She didn't want to tell him the news over the phone. She couldn't tell him that kind of news over the phone. It was the moment of truth because now he was standing in front of her with his hands still shoved in his pocket. She waited for him to say something. He did the same. Finally she spoke. "Hey…" her voice was softer than it had been in a long time._

"_Hey…" Duncan watched her. He tried to read her. All he could tell was that something was wrong. Still that much was obvious by the tone of her voice that she had used on his voicemail. She had sounded conflicted and upset. "What's up?"_

_Veronica looked down at her feet. _

"_Is this about the fact that I told you that I still loved you?" Duncan asked and knew the answer was yes because of the way she suddenly went stiff._

_Veronica looked up at him. "I can't let you leave her for me. So I've decided that I'm going to take that job in Los Angeles. I'm going to go ahead and join the force down there. Still it's not all about you Duncan. I'm not just doing this because of you."_

"_Then why are you doing this Veronica? If you're not trying to run away from your feelings then why are you doing this?" Duncan demanded. He could feel himself wanting to cry. He needed her more than he needed air. _

"_Sometimes when I go to sleep at night I think of Lily and I wake up in a cold sweat. I think of the way you were rocking at the police station. I think of the way everything fell apart after that and it's then that I realize I can't let that happen anymore. I can't let families suffer for as long as yours did. I won't lie I'm leaving for two reasons, but the bigger one is because I can make a bigger difference in L.A. I told you that I love you too and I do really, but God Duncan I'm not going to let you do that to Meg. You'll be happier with her. I promise." Suddenly she became so emotional that she found it impossible to control herself. She was breaking down and she was trying to fight it. She didn't want to look weak._

_Duncan took her in his arms and sighed. "Fine, but always know that I'll never love her the way I love you."_

_Veronica and Duncan stood there on the beach for the next hour not saying anything to each other. Just holding onto one another for dear life, because they both knew when this embrace was over so wouldtheir love affair. They walked away from that night never discussing it again knowing that it caused too much pain all around. _

"You dated Duncan Kane didn't you?" Joe asked quietly. He could tell that she was somewhere far away. She was thinking about something that made her feel bad from the look on her face.

Veronica was suddenly brought back to earth by his voice. She'd almost missed her turn in the midst of her reminiscing. "Yeah in high school and before you ask yeah I loved him, but that was a long time ago. He's probably married now. He's been living with the same girl for at least five years now."

Joe didn't press further. He knew that this was a painful subject for her. He understood that he would in time learn what happened. Why they couldn't make it? In the past two years of working with Veronica he'd come to realize that she was an introvert and a person with many secrets. He'd come to love her like his own daughter.

Wallace had been right there was no missing the gym that Duncan's construction company was building. It was a massive structure. She pulled her car into an area that wasn't filled with his stuff and then quietly searched the crowd for him. As soon as she saw him she found herself smiling. She couldn't help it. He looked the same as he always did. Duncan would be like Brad Pitt it would take him forever to look old. "This is it." She laughed when she saw that Joe had brought his cowboy hat with him. Even though he lived in California he dressed like a Texan through and through. He wore a Stetson everyday, and a huge and pretty tacky belt buckle that she couldn't help but love. The two of them looked pretty funny together, because she seemed like Detective Barbie and he was Walker Texas Ranger.

"Now you've got to let me guess which one he is Veronica seeing as I know you're going to lead the questioning." Joe searched the crowd and began to look to see if he could find someone that fit Veronica's type. Of course the only guy that she had dated since she had joined the voice her been Charles but he was pretty clean cut so he figured she liked the kind you could take home to your mother and not have to fear that she would go into cardiac arrest. He noticed that there was guy going over plans with broad shoulders and nice physique. That had to be him. "The one in the light blue polo." He whispered into her ear.

"How'd you guess?" Veronica questioned.

Joe shrugged. "You could say that I have a gift for these things."

Duncan had just happened to look up from the plans and noticed that Veronica Mars was walking towards him with a big old guy wearing a cowboy hat. He felt his heart stop. It couldn't be. She was back. He'd been waiting for this moment for forever and now it was finally here.

Veronica saw that he had seen her and felt her heart begin to beat faster and faster. He had this look in his eyes that said I never thought this day would come. It was obvious that he hadn't gotten over her. Six months ago when she and Charles first started going out this would have made her nervous and uncomfortable. Now all it did was make her want to dance. "Hey Duncan…" her voice was just as soft as it had been the last time they'd really talked.

Duncan didn't know what to say so instead he did the first thing he could think of. He hugged her. He picked her up and hugged her.


	3. Chapter 3

1Veronica Mars gasped as soon as she felt her feet leave the ground. She couldn't believe that Duncan was hugging her like this. She looked down to see if she could see a ring on his finger and was surprised to see that the answer was no. She found herself blushing as soon as her feet hit the ground. "Is that the new Neptune way of saying hello?" she joked lamely. She felt her heart beating faster than it had been before. She wondered if was safe for her heart to be pumping this fast.

Duncan looked at his feet for a second trying to mask the fact that he was blushing. He couldn't believe he hugged her that way. He looked at her quickly. She was still beautiful. Though she did look harder than she had before. Her hair was shorter, her clothes were darker, and she seemed to be lacking a sufficient amount of sleep. He wanted so badly to reach out and touch her skin to see if it was still as soft as it had been when they were first dating. When a simple hug was enough to get them by for the day or when a kiss equaled the same thing as sex for most couples. He knew she was expecting an answer no matter how dumb it sounded so he replied softly, "Oh yeah you know it's the biggest trend to hit Neptune since Uggs."

Joe simply watched the two try to awkwardly get past that first moment. They both seemed to be nervous around each other. He had never seen Veronica this nervous. Normally she could make people more nervous than a loaded gun. "You must be Mr. Kane. I'm Veronica's partner Detective Joseph McPherson."

Duncan looked over at the tall older man and nodded. "You must be here about Libby Bishop's murder."

Veronica wasn't surprised that Duncan already knew why they were here. News moved quickly in Neptune. The only news that would have traveled faster than a murder would be an illegitimate love child. "I see news still moves fast."

Duncan simply sighed and nodded. "I have a feeling you are going to tell me that Billy Thompson is you number one suspect at this point. He couldn't have done it. He showed up to work this morning which I found odd. I called him into my trailer and I told him that he shouldn't be here right now. He asked me why and that's when I realized he had no idea what happened to Libby. I told him and he completely fell apart. I know what it looks like when someone is really shocked by news. I know what a real nervous breakdown looks like. One of the crew members drove him home."

"Did he say anything in response to the news?" Veronica asked. She had a feeling that Duncan was right. Duncan knew first hand what it looked like when someone fell apart due to a sudden death. If anyone knew what it really looked like to see your whole life fall apart it was Logan. The guy who committed this murder wouldn't have been able to sob about it a few hours later. Actually they wouldn't have even bothered showing up for work.

"He kept saying over and over again that it was all his fault." Duncan replied.

"Do you have any idea why he would think it was his fault?" Veronica asked a pen poised ready to write down anything he said.

Duncan just shrugged. "I don't know. The thing is Libby was one of those girls who lived to make her parents angry. When she first started dating Billy it was because she thought he was a bad boy. She wasn't pleased when she found out that he was more responsible than most of the boys at school. She wasn't a one man kind of girl. It's common knowledge that she was seeing a few less than savory guys. Billy knew that was how the Neptune girls worked. He understood she was complicated and that he was nothing more than a fling. Still, she made him happy. Does that make sense?"

Joe started to say no. Didn't Mr. Kane just give them Billy's motive for murder? Shouldn't that mean that they were now even more convinced that was guilty? Then why was Veronica nodding? Was there something he had missed?

Veronica closed her little notebook and tossed it into her bag. She smiled weakly at Duncan. She had a feeling that this murder investigation was a little hard for him. Neptune was normally a place that though it did not lack drama it usually did lack murders. The last time someone had been murdered in Neptune it had been his sister. It had been her best friend. Both of them realized this little fact. Both of them were bothered by it. Still, neither of them said anything. Mostly because neither one of them knew what to say. "Okay I think that is all of our questions Duncan. Thank you."

Joe didn't know what to say or do. "Really that's all of our questions?"

Veronica looked at her partner and nodded. She knew he didn't understand what was going on right now. He would never quite grasp the way things worked in Neptune. You only asked a few questions at a time. "Believe me that's all we need for now."

Joe just shook his hand and walked over to the SUV and climbed in. He knew she wanted a moment to say goodbye to Duncan.

Veronica grabbed her ex-boyfriend's hand and then scribbled her cell phone down on his palm. She looked at him for a moment not really knowing what to say. Then she quietly whispered "I'll be here for at least a week. I'm going to be staying with Wallace. If you need to talk then call me. Don't hesitate. I know how hard it's still hard for you. Just, whatever you do, don't mess things up with Meg just to talk to me. You've invested too much into your relationship with her to throw it all away for a phone conversation."

Duncan looked his palm and then back up at her. "Okay . . . "

Veronica smiled a little and then started to walk away.

"Oh and Veronica . . . " Duncan choked out. He was still a little surprised that she had written her cell phone number on his hand. He found the answer to his previous question about whether her skin was just as soft. The answer was yes. It was still as soft as it had been so many years before.

Veronica turned around.

"Don't ask Billy too many questions. I know that may compromise your investigation, but the worst thing you can do right now is to overwhelm him. Believe me I know that from experience. If you ask him too many questions, you may not get answers you can understand. He's a good kid Veronica. A really good kid. One of my best workers."

Veronica nodded and waved a little.

Duncan was reminded of that morning after homecoming when his parents had called the cops. She had been so gorgeous that evening. He waved at her the same way he did all those years before.

Veronica hopped into the vehicle. She knew that Joe was looking at her. She knew he wanted answers. Still she wasn't sure what to say. How could she explain her history with Duncan to Joe when she hardly understood it herself? "We'll go and search her room first, and then we'll go over to the Thompson's to question Billy."

Joe knew she didn't want to talk about what had just happened with Duncan. He knew she was confused about the whole situation. Still, he had to say something. He had too many questions running through his head. "Seems as though things aren't quite as over as they seemed to be."

Veronica looked at him and sighed. She acted as thought she hadn't heard a word he said. "I don't think Billy Thompson did it."

Joe spit some of his dip in a Pepsi can and then replied "I know. I don't know why you don't think he did it. Still I do know that you don't think he could have done it."

Veronica took a deep breath. Her mouth felt dry. She took a swig of the Mello Yello she had grabbed from her apartment before heading to Neptune. She knew she had to tell him why she knew this boy was innocent. She knew there was no way they could continue the investigation until Joe knew about Lily. So Veronica did what she had to do. She told him everything. She told him the story about how when she was in high school her best friend was murdered. When she was finally done talking Joe too understood that this kid couldn't have committed such a heinous crime and then turned around and gone to work and acted as if everything was okay. There was just no way that could have taken place.

Okay so that was the long awaited update of Dreams and Memories. I don't know if that was as good as it should have been. I don't know when I'll update this again hopefully it will be sooner than last time. I think it took me nearly seven months to update this story. Still please tell me what you think. Thank you SO MUCH for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

She pulled a pair of latex gloves on before opening Libby's bedroom door. She took a deep breath before venturing further inside. She had to take a second to collect her thoughts. This room carried the exact same vibe as Lily's.

Joe watched as she just stood there taking in her surroundings. He couldn't help but look at her differently. He didn't know how she coped with losing her best friend at such a young and fragile age. He cleared his throat a little. "So uh what exactly are we looking for?"

"Notes, a diary, just about anything that will give us a little more insight into who she is." Veronica looked at a few of the pictures that we sitting on her desk.

Joe nodded. He noticed the red light on her answering machine blinking. He walked over there and pressed the button.

_Hi Libby its Candace. I was calling to see how you're date went with Anderson and if we were still on for watching Laguna Beach next Saturday. Call me when you get this. _

Veronica walked out of the room after listening to the message twice. She made her way into the kitchen where Carrie was nursing a cup of coffee and making arrangements for her sister's funeral. "Hi Carrie I'm sorry to bother you but I had a quick question."

Carrie simply stared at Veronica. It took too much energy to speak right now.

"Uh there is a message on Libby's answering machine. First who is Candace and second do you know who an Anderson could be?"

Candace took a deep breath. She put down her pen and sighed. "Candace is Libby's best friend. Candace Beckman. Her cell phone number is written down on this list by Libby's phone. Everyone on that list is someone of significance." She paused. She willed herself not to cry. She couldn't believe she was having to make arrangements for her little sister's funeral. "I don't know an Anderson. It sounds like a rich white kid name. Candace would know though. Candace and Libby were like two peas in a pod."

Veronica nodded. "Thanks we'll just be in there for a little while longer today and then we'll be gone. If you don't mind we need you to stay out of there for now."

Carrie nodded. "I just wanted to say thank you Veronica. I know I was a bitch in high school but uh thanks for this. You are the perfect person to handle this case."

Veronica walked over and squeezed Carrie's hand before making her way back into Libby's bedroom. Just as Carrie had told her there was a list of phone numbers by the phone. She made a copy of the list and then looked at the room one more time. "Carrie doesn't know who Anderson is. She did say though that Candace was Libby's best friend and that they were two peas in a pod."

Joe nodded. "So tomorrow morning we'll go to school and talk to her friends. See what they know." He paused for a second. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll just need a little therapy when this is over that's all." Veronica joked. "I want you to take this computer with you. I want you have to the computer forensics team check it out."

"Is that all?" Joe asked a little surprised.

Veronica just nodded.

He parked his truck in the driveway next to Meg's BMW and sighed. He looked at his hand where she had jotted down her cell phone number and couldn't help but smile. Her skin had felt so soft. He sighed and climbed out of his truck and made his way into the house. He stood there for a second and simply stared at the home he shared with Meg. From the outside looking in it would seem as if they were the perfect couple. He shook his head and made his way inside. As soon as he opened the door he could feel that she knew that Veronica was back in town. It was the first time he ever really wanted to avoid her. Still he knew she knew that he was home. His truck was noisy whenever it pulled into the drive. He set his stuff down in his office before making his way to the kitchen. That's where he found her. She was sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee staring at an old yearbook. He bent down and softly kissed her forehead before making his way to the fridge. He sighed. "She's in town on business. Libby Bishop was murdered last night outside of an L.A. club."

Meg didn't say anything. She just stared kept flipping through the pages of their old yearbook.

"Meg, please can we just go one night without fighting. I came home early for dinner. I'm really stressed about this gym. I just need you to not be on my case tonight. I come home to you every night Meg, not Veronica. I live with you Meg, not Veronica." He guessed that the yearbook she was looking at was junior year because of the angry look on her face. That was a good year for Duncan and Veronica. Actually it was their best year. That yearbook was filled with reasons why they were good together.

Meg nodded. "That may be true, but you dream of her Duncan, not me." Meg pointed out.

Duncan shook his head. Didn't she realize that she was pushing him away? Didn't she realize that this was ruining everything they had? Didn't she realize that the more she nagged and bitched and moaned the more he wished he had moved to Los Angeles? If she did she didn't act like it. "I'm not going to fight with you tonight Meg. I just can't. Today I had to tell one my best workers that his girlfriend was murdered in cold blood last night outside of some L.A. club. Today was a bad day. Coming home to this isn't helping any." He turned around and walked out the door not even bothering to say goodbye.

Meg didn't bother to even try and stop him. Instead she poured herself another cup of coffee. She figured he was going to find her or to get wasted. If this life wasn't so comfortable she would have left Duncan a long time ago. She picked up her phone and dialed a familiar number.

Veronica smiled and laughed as she bounced Layla up and down on her knee. Every time she saw Layla she couldn't help but want a child of her own. Still she wasn't in a good place in her career to venture down that road right now. She looked up and saw Wallace was massaging his knee a bit. She frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah it just you knows flares up every once in a while." Wallace's knee blew out last year during the playoffs at the time he was playing for the San Antonio Spurs and while he wasn't a star or anything he was playing well. He was playing enough that it earned him that championship ring at the end of the playoffs even if he didn't get to play past the first series. "Did I tell you I finally got to meet Kobe Bryant?"

Veronica laughed. "Oh my gosh please tell me that you didn't fawn over him like a stalker."

"No actually he came up to me. I was watching Hannah play. They were playing Houston and next thing I know Kobe Bryant is coming up to me. This was while I was still doing my rehab so I have this knee brace on and I'm looking crazy. He sits down next to me and tells me that he's sorry to here about my knee and my early retirement and we just talked. He said that the NBA needed more underrated players like me as long as they all went to the Lakers of course."

Veronica smiled. "So you finally met your idol. So how is Hannah's team doing?"

"They could be doing better. They were talking about trading her to either Seattle or Connecticut but nothing serious has come of it."

"You must really miss basketball." Veronica could tell just by the look he got in his eyes when he was talking about it. She remembered when he blew out his knee. She remembered how she flew down to San Antonio to be with him while he was in the hospital.

Wallace shrugged and nodded. "It was my life for a long time. Still now Layla has a parent that can always be there for her. I got lucky though I finished college before entering the draft." Wallace paused. "I'm thinking about applying for a coaching job at Neptune."

Veronica couldn't hide her surprise. "Wow. I can't believe it. Was this your idea or theirs?"

"It was the schools idea. After I moved back here and bought a house they started calling. I could win a different kind of championship there. Still enough about me how did your visit with Duncan go?" Wallace couldn't help but smirk.

"He hugged me. We talked. I gave him my cell number. I left. I inspected Libby's room. I came here."

Wallace felt his eyes almost pop out of his head. "He hugged you? Duncan Kane hugged you? And then after that inappropriate public display you still gave him your cell number?"

Veronica couldn't help but smile, shrug, and laugh a little. When you described it that way the fact that she gave him her number was very inappropriate. Still at the time it didn't seem so inappropriate. "Well yes, but it wasn't as risqué as you're making it out to be. I just gave it to him in case he needed someone to talk to."

"Isn't that why you live with someone? Isn't that what Meg is for?"

"It's not that simple Wallace. Meg didn't know Duncan after Lily died. She didn't know the guilt that took him over. I just I know this reminds him a lot of when he lost his sister. I gave him my number."

Wallace smiled. "I'm happy you did."

"So why did you just give me so much shit?"

Wallace laughed and shrugged. "I just wanted to see if you backed down and regretted it. He needs you Veronica. He may live with Meg physically but not emotionally. He asks about you every time I see him."

Veronica wasn't sure what to say. Part of her couldn't help but be excited that he wasn't over her. She would always love Duncan. Still there was a part of her that felt guilty. Did this make her a home wrecker? Suddenly she felt nervous about bumping into Meg while she was here. She was in the middle of worrying about what all of this meant when she heard her cell phone start to ring in the other room. "I bet its Joe. He took the computer in to have it checked out by the computer forensics team." She rushed to answer her phone. When she reached it though she found she didn't recognize the number. She opened it anyway wondering if Joe was calling her from someone else's phone. "Veronica Mars."

"Hi."

Veronica didn't need the person on the other end of the line to say more than that one word. She found that her heart had started beating faster. "Duncan?"

"I was wondering if maybe you would want to join me for a nightcap." Duncan asked hopefully.

She sighed. Her heart was screaming yes. Her head was screaming no. She didn't want people to talk about her the way they talked about her mother. She didn't want to be known as the woman who would steal your husband from you in a millisecond. "What about Meg?"

Duncan let out a deep breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. "Meg doesn't matter. Not tonight anyway."

"I can't do this Duncan. You can't do this. You've been with her too long." Veronica could feel her heartbreaking more and more as she uttered each word.

Duncan sniffled a little. He couldn't believe he was crying. He'd been fine for so long without her. Well at least he was visibly fine. He sighed again. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll see you later okay Veronica?"

Veronica willed herself not to cry until she hung up this phone. "Yeah Duncan it's a small town. I'm sure we'll see each other."

Duncan hung up his cell phone and made his way down the street. He was only a block from his house. He had decided not to drink tonight. He knew that was how people became alcoholics. The last thing he needed was for that rumor to go around and for Meg to throw that in his face. He was surprised to see a Ferrari in his driveway when he pulled in. He couldn't think of whose car it was. He assumed it was probably just one of Meg's book club friends. He walked into the backdoor and noticed that she had opened a bottle of wine. He picked it up and took a swig. He was on his way to his office when he noticed a tie on the floor. Intrigued he picked it up. He grabbed the tie and made his way down the hall. He felt his heart start to beat faster and faster. He had a feeling he knew what was going on. He didn't want to be right. He opened the door and found Meg cuddling with…..

AHHH it's a cliffhanger…I am really going to try and update this story in the next few weeks. Thank you for reading. I hope it was good. Review please! I love them. Every time I would read a review I would feel bad because I had no idea where I wanted to go next. Thank you once again for reading!


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